Operations

Fleet Sales Slide 3.5 Percent in July

Sales of vehicles from nine manufacturers to commercial fleets fell 3.5 percent to 44,303 units in July mostly due to a slide in sales of trucks, vans, and SUVs.

Truck sales continue to drive the volume of fleet sales, but fell 9.1 percent to 41,241 units in the month compared to July of 2014. Car sales increased 45.4 percent to 6,804 units during the month.

Van sales remained stout in July, especially with Ford's Transit van, which was introduced a year ago and continues to build momentum. Ford sold 65,668 Transit vans in July, including 43,948 cargo vans, 20,517 passenger wagons, and 1,203 Transit chassis cabs and cutaways.

Fleet sales remain positive for the calendar year to date, as sales to fleets increased 2.5 percent to 370,173, according to Automotive Fleet data. Through July, truck sales were flat with a 0.6-percent increase to 305,702, while car sales have increased 13.1 percent to 55,472.

Operations

Ryder System has joined forces with new technology suppliers to showcase smart warehouse operations, such as robotics; autonomous vehicles and drones; sensors and automatic identification tools; and wearable technology.

Vehicle relocation service Auto Driveaway, which serves large corporate fleets, has acquired the assets of heavy truck transport service J&J, which expands its scope in the heavy truck transportation market.

More than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space can be daunting to even the seasoned Work Truck Show attendee. Here are a few items you won’t want to miss when you check out the show March 5-8 in Indianapolis.